Tireless cub prix ‘sifu’
Yy pang stays in the race to help team produce talented riders
AS a rider, YY Pang used to follow strictly a particular “pantang” (taboo) before race day.
The already married YY Pang will stop sexual activity for a week before a race.
“I believed it help preserve my stamina for the races. But that’s in my era. Now, I don’t have any pantang for my riders,” said YY Pang, who is now 67 years of age and is a familiar figure in the local motorcycling racing industry.
That perhaps explains why YY Pang, whose real name is Pang Yok You, was able to claim more than 50 podium finishes throughout his racing career despite starting out as a privateer.
Zulfahmi Khairuddin may go on record as the first Malaysian rider to make the podium in the 125cc category of the World Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit back in 2012.
But not many know that it was YY Pang who became the country’s first rider to reach the podium in an international race after finishing third in the 500cc category of the Kuala Lumpur Grand Prix Championship at that time.
Although he did not clinch the championship win at the Batu 3 Circuit in Shah Alam, competing against world-renowned riders like Ron Haslam and Ben Jones in the premier category remains an unforgettable memory.
It was only in 1991 when the Malaysia race was included in the World Motorcycle Grand Prix calendar.
Looking back on his early involvement in motorcycle racing, YY Pang said he started to develop an interest in motorcycle racing since his teenage years while working at a motorcycle workshop in Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur.
“My interest grew stronger after I managed to save enough money to buy an 80cc ‘kapchai’ motorcycle back in 1967.
“Then in 1970, I purchased a Vespa motorcycle and made some modifications. I became bold enough to join several races on my own expenses. I was basically a privateer.
“My first race was using a 175cc Vespa motorcycle but I didn’t win. My first victory was in Penang a few years later. My boss asked me to join a Vespa One Make Race and that was how I started my racing carrier.
“Later from 1970-1980, I started my own workshop and bought my own Yamaha TZ250 and TZ350 to race.
“I was the Shell Endurance 4 hours Race (350cc category) consecutive champion for five years with my partner Indran Lee.
“The journey was very tough as I need to find my own funds to race.
“After nearly 10 years of racing independently in various categories, I was recruited by the Hong Leong Yamaha team, allowing me to compete in more challenging categories.
“I then started my own racing team (YY Pang Racing Team) in 1990 and we have been involved in the local and international championships since then,” he said.
His racing team have successfully produced many talented local riders over more than two decades.
Among the famous riders born from the YY Pang Racing Team are Chow Yan Kit and the late Chia Tuck Cheong, who went on to conquer the Asian Road Racing Championships stage in the 90s.
The easygoing YY Pang continues to be involved with his racing team and also motorcycle spare parts business but is helped by his son Gary Pang.
As a team owner, riders under YY Pang Racing Team have won the Petronas Malaysian Cub Prix championship title 10 times (1997, 1999, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2021 and 2023).
“I am very proud of the fact that I managed to train many riders and mechanics in this industry until a stage where everyone in the track now calls me ‘sifu’ (master).”
YY Pang may have seen it all in his five-decade long involvement in motor racing but he still worries a lot during a race weekend.
“We worry if a rider got into an accident or his engine encounters a technical problem. Or if the rider cannot perform.”
And his advice to an aspiring rider who wants to make it in motorsport?
“In order to be a rider, you must take care of your fitness and work out diligently. I always believe it is not just skills but stamina is the key of success in this sports.”